


Maybe everything that dies someday comes back

by ch3yennesunrise



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Friendship, Gen, Sappy, Spoilers, alternative ending, gen - Freeform, hopeful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 01:58:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12288810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ch3yennesunrise/pseuds/ch3yennesunrise
Summary: Set after the end of the Magi manga. Ja'far encounters a familiar face.





	Maybe everything that dies someday comes back

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't my best work, but it was a bit of catharsis/wish fulfillment.
> 
> Spoilers for Magi's final chapter. This is a more hopeful alternative ending. May be a bit sappy.
> 
> The song is Atlantic City by Bruce Springsteen.

_“Well now everything dies, baby, that’s a fact. Maybe everything that dies someday comes back…”_

Sinbad was gone.

 _Gone_.

Maybe he’d already been gone for a long time, but still- He was their leader, their king, their _friend_.

More than that, he was their family, the force that had united them for so long.

He’d touched all their lives, and he almost destroyed them, and yet- He still chose to save them, and he was never coming back.

Ever.

The Eight Generals had remained silent for a long time.

It was too soon to even attempt to fathom everything, to memorialize the enigma of a man who had burned across their lives like a meteor streaking over the hilltops, brief and brilliant, and then fading to nothing.

They’d said their goodbyes and gone their separate ways. It was for the best, at least for a while. In their minds, they tried to separate the middle from the beginning and the end.

There were the sly, lop-sided grins, the boastful laughs, the wild dreams, and the hope for a better world, and-

There were even the quiet moments, the promise of a faithful friend, the times he’d saved them all, especially Ja'far.

Sinbad’s right-hand man had known him since they were kids, and he’d always go wherever he went.

“I will accompany you anywhere.”

Ja'far almost laughed at his old promise. He’d been so earnest back then.

“Sin,” he said quietly, addressing the air.

“Why?” His shoulders tensed with emotion and he pointed a finger at the empty sky.

“Why did you leave? Why?” Ja'far felt tears beginning to fill his eyes, and he cursed the king of Sindria.

He allowed his hands to form into fists and narrowed his eyes.

“Why?” he asked again in a small voice.

“Why? What kind of question is that, Ja'far?”

Ja'far’s eyes flew open and found himself face to face with golden eyes and a crooked smile, warm with laughter and familiarity.

“Sin?” he exclaimed.

“Don’t look at me like that, Ja'far,” Sinbad said with a wink.

Ja'far lifted a hand to touch Sinbad’s shoulder and found that he was solid-

Real.

Ja'far arms encircled him in a swift embrace, and he let a few tears fall onto Sinbad’s shoulder.

He felt Sinbad pat his shoulder, and he blinked in bewilderment and relief. Ja'far slowly pulled away from him.

“How?” was all he could manage.

“The Rukh. I’m not sure if it’s permanent, but I’m back,” Sinbad said, patting his arm gently.

“I don’t believe you,” Ja'far murmured, and Sinbad smiled sadly.

“You can believe whatever you want, Ja'far. I remember everything,” he said slowly.

“Everything? Even David?” Ja'far asked curiously.

“Yeah, I haven’t switched places with anyone. I’m the same person I always was,” Sinbad said with a laugh.

“The same person, huh? What will you do? Will you go back?” Ja'far asked hurriedly, as if trying to keep Sinbad there, to tether him to the earth.

“I don’t know yet. I need to find them- everyone. I need to go back when the timing is right,” Sinbad said. 

"Why not now? They all think you’re dead.

They missed you,” Ja'far said quietly.

“I missed you,” he admitted.

Usually, he was far from candid, but he didn’t know if they had any time left, and-

"So did I,” Sinbad said with a smile.

The old radiance was there in his eyes, even if just for a moment.

“I missed everyone. That place I went to- it was beautiful, but there’s still so much out there. There’s still so much here,” he added.

Sinbad turned away from Ja'far, and the assassin quickly put his hand on his shoulder and turned him around.

“Where are you going, Sin?” he asked.

“Out there,” he said softly, stretching an arm to point across the sea.

"What? What about your plan for the world? What about the kingdom?” Ja'far asked quickly.

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll deal with that in the future,” Sinbad answered with a smile.

“Let’s go. There should be a ship waiting for us,” he continued.

"You’ve already planned this out? How long have you been back?” Ja'far asked in disbelief.

“Long enough. And Ja'far, don’t doubt Sinbad of the Seven Seas,” he added with a wink.

“I’m not, Sin! I just don’t- It isn’t possible!” he shouted.

“You’ve known me for twenty years and you still think impossible is in my dictionary?” Sinbad scoffed.

He stared out at the horizon once more and beckoned for Ja'far to follow him.

"You said you’d always follow me, right? How about another adventure?” Sinbad asked with a grin.

“Of- of course! I will accompany you anywhere, Sin,” Ja'far said fondly, echoing his old promise.

He didn’t know how much time they had or how Sin was back, but it didn’t matter. In time, they would reunite the old team, and even though things wouldn’t be the same, they didn’t have to be.

Everything was out there.

 _Everything_.

 

 _“Now our luck may have died and our love may be cold, but with you forever I’ll stay.We’re going out where the sand’s turning to gold…”_ -Bruce Springsteen, “Atlantic City


End file.
